


After 616

by orphan_account



Series: AH 616 [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Everyone is Dead, M/M, No seriously literally everyone is dead, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2018-01-14 04:19:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1252570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A/N: I needed to write this it was screaming at me. Warning for death since literally everyone in this story is dead. Everyone. Also! There’s some lovely references to K’s and The Dregs’(Is that what you’d like to be called, darling?) wonderful stories. I still can’t add links or I’d put what you should read before all of this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After 616

When Michael opens his eyes, he’s lying on their old couch. He can perfectly remember what happened. He knows he’s dead- and he had accepted it long before he died. Honestly, he had accepted death the moment they got the order to go against the Gents. Getting up, he searches the house but can’t find anything. Out of the corner of his eyes he sees vague flickers, but he doesn’t pay them any mind. Not when he’s too focused on how this is where they used to live. This is where they were the happiest, this is where they were the dumbest, and this is where they said their last goodbyes. Yet, he doesn’t feel the negative emotions this home.

There’s nothing but the safe and loving feeling of home.

Turning around ends up frightening him. Ryan’s body lies in the chair now. Or more accurately, it sits. It sits just like he used to when he was having sleepless nights and didn’t want to bother anyone. His eyes are closed and if Michael wakes towards him, he almost seems to flicker. For a moment, he’s upset at the thought that Ryan may end up stuck somewhere else.

Realizing that the body being there means Ryan is dead makes him sob.

The man shouldn’t have died yet. He should have gone home, with all the rest of the boys, and lived happily for years yet to come. Except that there was no home to return to. No way to go home with the way America was fucked over by the bill. Even if they could- Michael can’t imagine them being able to adjust to civilian life with each other again. Can’t imagine them being willing to trust each other. Even with Jack, Geoff, Ray, and Gavin still alive, Michael knows that if they live together- the lads and gents will sleep on different beds, unable to get closer to each other.

There was never a way to return for them.

Kneeling before the arm chair, he brings his hands up to rest on the almost solid cheeks and whispers his name. Ryan echoes around the empty house like it’s a cave. When Michael closes his eyes- an answer comes but it’s not from Ryan. A voice that can’t be anyone’s but Gavin’s tells him to get away. To back away, to come to him, to come to safety.

Michael laughs drily, there’s no safety in death.

Gavin pulls him up and into his arms. He feels the grief rising in him again, knowing that his favorite brit is dead too, but he pushes it aside to lose himself in the embrace. It’s warm- not warm in the same way that hugs were when they were alive, but still warm in a way he can’t describe. A warmth that reaches his soul and surrounds it, part of the feeling of coming home.

Maybe in death they can find a home for the six of them again.

They argue quietly with one another. Gavin doesn’t want him to go anywhere near Ryan. He doesn’t see why not. The shot wasn’t purposely fired at him. He’s not upset, he doesn’t blame Ryan. Gavin does. He tries to get him away, but Michael just pushes him away and yells because they’re dead. There’s not much else that Ryan could do now to him. The British man stops arguing at that, and they move to stand over Ryan and wait.

When Ryan opened his eyes, Michael was able to control himself for all of a minute before he rushed forward to kiss the man.

He looked like he’d been crying and his whole body sagged with exhaustion, but Michael was just happy to see him solidify- hoping it meant that at least Ryan would stay with them. Moving away was harder than it should have been, but Ryan’s stare of confusion, disbelief, and amazement helped. Maybe he’d moved too fast. Maybe he should have waited until they’d talked, but he just couldn’t. Michael stepped just to the left so Gavin had a full view of just how broken Ryan looked. It didn’t stop Gavin from screaming. From demanding to know why he’d shot Michael when they were just finally all together.

“I was aiming for Ray.” Ryan said quietly, unable to meet their eyes.

“What, that’s somehow bloody better?!” Gavin’s voice grated against Michael’s ears.

“For his leg. I never wanted to kill anyone.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I know. I don’t expect you to. If I knew how to leave so you could be at peace, I would. I’m sorry to bother you.” Ryan finally looked up, eyes boring holes into Gavin’s skull. “I hope you can come to at least ignore my presence so you can still be happy when the others come.”

“Others..?” Michael asks quietly, staring at Ryan.

“There was a sniper outside. If they got Gavin, the others aren’t far behind.”

“Shit. You assholes just can’t stay alive, can you?”

“Sorry.” Ryan’s voice falls silent and the three of them can hear sniffling coming from the doorway. When they look, Jack is standing there with tears sliding off his cheeks and disappearing somewhere towards the floor.

“Ryan.” The bearded man’s voice cracked as he stumbled forward between them, dead set on getting to that chair. “Ryan you..You..”

“Jack.”

“My name. Your voice. You talked. You actually talked.” They smile at each other for a moment before Jack swoops in to squeeze him as tightly as possible. When Ryan’s arms wrap around him and the humming reaches his ears, he wants to cry again in relief. “I never thought I’d hear your beautiful god damn voice again.”

“Why is it so amazing that Ry talked?” Ray’s voice called out from the spot in front of their television.

“Ray!” Michael moved around Gavin to pull the last lad into his arms. “You’re an idiot for dying.”

“You’re an idiot for taking a bullet meant for me.”

“I’d do it again, every time.”

“Ryan hasn’t talked in over a year.” Jack says quietly.

“Wait you mean…not since…” Ray seems thoughtful and confused.

“Not since some asshole hurt him and hurt him bad. I don’t know which one of you it was, but when I find out I will punch you.” Geoff appeared from the hallway, striding over to stand behind the back of the chair. He smacked the man over the back of the head before sliding his hand down to rest on his shoulder. “That’s for killing Michael, you absolute idiot. It’s nice to have you back with some life in you- you’ve been missed.”

“I deserved that. Also, I don’t think there’s any life in me. I’m dead.” Ryan replied with a hesitant smile.

“Don’t you be a fucking smartass. So, now that you’ve got your voice, you know you’ve got to tell me exactly what happened right?”

“Ryan didn’t talk that entire year…?” Gavin asked near silently, his anger starting to ebb away. Ryan wasn’t the only one who had fucked up.

“Nothing happened. I just didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore.” Ryan replied much quicker than he should of.

“Hurt anyone? By fucking talking?!” Geoff’s eyes scan over nothing like they’re going over date and then narrow in on Gavin, since he’s the closest. After all, the last person Ryan had talked to had been the lads.

“Oh Ryan you thick twat.” The British man steps forward and all his anger leaves him as he jumps onto the man’s lap, burying his head in Ryan’s neck. “You’re bloody mental. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Geoff’s hand smacks the back of his head, but he ignores it because it’s not important.

“No, I’m sorry Gavin. I fucked up pretty big.” Ryan murmurs, kissing the man’s forehead.

“We all fucked up. We’re idiots. Each of us is a fucking idiot for letting a damn piece of paper that never even got passed come between us. And I’m King of the Idiots for going so far to support it.” Geoff declares and Ray mock bows, smiling.

Ray comes to stand in front of Ryan, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. “I’ve missed you, Ry.”

“I missed you too. I kept all your answers in my pillow case. Every last one.” Ryan doesn’t allow them to break eye contact until he’s sure Ray understands how serious he is.

“I kept every letter in a lockbox at base..”

“You two were exchanging letters?!” Jack interrupts, frowning. No one else had been talking that entire year, but apparently two of them thought it best just to talk to each other.

“I write…a lot. I had never meant to send the first one.” Ryan looks guilty, and with a quick glance at Ray’s face he has to correct himself. “Though I’m very happy I did.”

“I never thought I’d be jealous of letters.” Gavin mutters with a frown.

“What do you mean? There were letters to you too.”

“What?”

“Er.. About that.” Ray looks sheepish and the other two lads turn on him quickly. There’s no real malice in their argument. No one wants to be mad at each other. Not anymore. Not when they can’t tell if a single argument would still be enough to tear the foundation of their relationship apart. They talk with short stops to make sure that the others are still there. That this is really happening and it’s not just someone’s nightmare. Or, if that terrible war is still raging on, it could be someone’s best dream and only wish. There’s the hugs Michael didn’t get before, and they feel like his soul is falling back in place.

They try to get back some semblance of normality.

Jack starts making breakfast in the mornings- or at least what they’re calling mornings. There’s no real sense of time in this house. It almost feels homely and loving like it used to, but no one can ignore the way he still favors his left side just out of habit. Ray picks up video games again. They’ll have full blown nights of them where he’ll pull someone in to play with him. It’s ridiculously fun but it’s not quite the same either. It’s painfully obvious to the six of them that things will never quite be the same when Ray can’t bring himself to play Black Ops. Geoff and Gavin start pranking people again, but there’s not as much heart behind it. They hold themselves back, afraid that the next prank will be the one to drive everyone apart again. Ryan tries to joke again and keep the same snarky comments he used to say flowing. But he’s filtering himself again- just like he used to do in the first let’s plays he was in. He can’t fully let go, and he never raises his voice or argues with anyone anymore- the thought terrifies him. Geoff tries to relax and watch them like he used to. It’s the easiest habit to pick back up. But it comes with an issue he didn’t think he’d ever have. As he watches, he’s waiting for the tension to arrive so he can break it. He’s waiting for the smiles to fall because every moment feels like the last happy one they’ll ever have and he wants to keep his boys safe. The war has changed them, not for the better, but for good.

None of the six of them can return to just being the silly men from Achievement Hunter anymore.


End file.
